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2326 - 2350 of 3662 Records
The Buddha Amitābha with Two Attendants in a Niche
- Title Translation: 阿弥陀三尊佛龛
- Period: Tang, 703 C.E.
- Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda
703
The Buddha Amitābha with Two Attendants in a Niche
- Title Translation: 阿弥陀三尊佛龛
- Period: Tang, 703 C.E.
- Project: Guangzhai Temple Qibaotai Pagoda
703
649
Sa Lu Zi Steed (replica)
- Title Translation: 飒露紫
- Period: Tang, 649 C.E.
- Project: Six Horses of Tang Taizong
649
649
Quan Mao Gua Steed (replica)
- Title Translation: 拳毛騧
- Period: Tang, 649 C.E.
- Project: Six Horses of Tang Taizong
649
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi), Vaiśravana and Vajrapāṇi
- Title Translation: 奉先寺 , 毗沙门与金刚手菩萨
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi)
- Title Translation: 奉先寺
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi)
- Title Translation: 奉先寺
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi)
- Title Translation: 奉先寺
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi)
- Title Translation: 奉先寺
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Fengxian Temple (Fengxiansi)
- Title Translation: 奉先寺
- Period: Tang, 618–907 C.E.
- Project: Sculptures in Longmen Caves
- Work Description: This imposing group of nine monumental images carved into the hard, gray limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen is a spectacular display of innovative style and iconography. Sponsored by the Emperor Gaozong and his wife, the future Empress Wu, the high relief sculptures are widely spaced in a semi-circle. The central Vairocana Buddha (more than 55 feet high including its pedestal) is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt holder (vajrapani). Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology. This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials. These monumental sculptures intentionally mirrored the political situation. The dignity and imposing presence of Buddha and the sumptuous appearance of his attendant bodhisattvas is significant in this context. The Buddha, monks and bodhisattvas (above) display new softer and rounder modeling and serene facial expressions. In contrast, the heavenly guardians and the vajrapani are more engaging and animated. Notice the realistic musculature of the heavenly guardians and the forceful poses of the vajrapani.
618 - 907
Bodhisattva Standing, 3D model
- Title Translation: 立菩萨 , 3D 模型
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: This standing bodhisattva is unusually well-preserved and can be identified with a figure on the north wall in historic photographs of Cave 18.
618 - 907
Bodhisattva Head, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨头 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Monster Squatting, 3D model
- Title Translation: 蹲鬼神 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Musician Sheng, 3D model
- Title Translation: 笙乐伎 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Simply rounded forms chiseled from gray limestone create this engaging relief of a celestial musician, known as an apsaras in Sanskrit or tianjen in Chinese, depicted playing the sheng. This instrument is a mouth organ consisting of a number of bamboo pipes of different lengths, a pipe for blowing in air, and fingering keyholes.1 The musician gently holds the sheng in both hands, and his closed eyes and beatific expression convey a sense of rapture in its heavenly sounds. Apsarases, usually represented as females, are flying celestials, often musicians or dancers, hovering in attendance to Buddhas and bodhisattvas in paradise scenes. Paradise cults offered Buddhist believers salvation in the form of rebirth into a paradise where attainment of nirvana was easy and certain. The available evidence from the mid-sixth century and later, such as the large relief depicting the Paradise of Amitabha now in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., as well as a number of votive stelae, indicate the rising influence of paradise cults in China at this time.2 By the mid-sixth century, more ascetic ethereal forms with complex cascades of drapery and scarves had shifted to the rounded, more expansive forms defined by closer fitting and simpler garments, as in this example. Xiangtangshan, one of the important early Buddhist cave temple complexes in northern China, which was opened in the mid-sixth century, preserves excellent examples of these later stylistic features. The Xiangtangshan cave temples are believed to have been established by two Northern Qi emperors, both great devotees of the Buddhist religion. These caves temples lie across the frontier of two provinces: the northern group of caves is in Wuan prefecture, Henan province, and the southern group in Zixian prefecture, Hebei province.3 The Shumei musician was probably removed from a wall of the northern temple group at Xiangtangshan. Examples of sculpture from Xiangtangshan are extremely rare outside of China; two more fragmentary relief sculptures are in a private collection in Japan: the head and shoulders of a lute player and a flute player, both of which share stylistic features with the Shumei example.4 ALJ 1. Sheng became visible in tombs at least as early as the Western Han period, with examples preserved in lacquered wood in Tombs 1 and 3 at Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan province, c. 168 B.C. (see Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens 1982, p. 54). The instrument was also quite common in tombs during the Three Kingdoms-Six Dynasties period. 2. See Pal 1984, pp. 272-73; Wright 1971, p. 59 and n.2; and Davidson 1954, pp. 58-61. The large relief now in the Freer Gallery was probably taken from Cave II of the southern group of Buddhist cave temples at Xiangtangshan and shows remarkable resemblance to composition found at Borobudur (see Soper 1960, p. 95). For an additional Northern Qi example see Shanghai 1996, no. 38. 3. Mizuno and Nagahiro 1937, pp. 1-10. 4. Ibid., introductory essay, pl. 4. Both the fragmentary lute player and the flute player are in the collection of Shoichi Fujiki, Tarazuka, Japan.
550 - 577
Bodhisattva Head, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨头 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Apsaras Hand Jewel, 3D model
- Title Translation: 飞天手饰 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Bodhisattva Standing Guanyin, 3D model
- Title Translation: 观世音菩萨 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Statue of a standing bodhisattva made of dark stone, brown and stained with age, with traces of red, green and blue pigment. The bodhisattva has a long face, plump cheeks, eyes nearly closed, with very long lobed ears, unpierced. There is a jeweled tiara with small a aureole in front on which is carved a tiny standing figure of Amida Buddha. There are streamers from the headdress with elaborately draped scarfs and jewels hanging down over the skirt. The statue is bare foot with no pedestal but does have a tang that comes out the bottom of the piece. C113, C150 and C151 are a set and come from Cave #2 of the Southern Xiangtangshan cave complex.
550 - 577
Bodhisattva Head, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨头 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Stone head of bodhisattva. Hard dark stone. Life size. Narrow oval face with half-closed eyes and tiny mouth; no urna; long ears with pierced lobes and earrings; three peaked headdress with tassels partly missing.
550 - 577
Buddha Head, 3D model
- Title Translation: 佛头 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Stone head of Buddha. Stone with traces of pigment. The long earlobes of the Buddha are a reminder of the heavy earrings that he wore before renouncing material things to seek enlightenment. His rounded cheeks are meant to resemble those of a lion, an animal that is praised for its power and associated with Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha. The ushnisha, or cranial protuberance which may have originally been based on a topknot or turban, is considered a mark of wisdom. The urna, or marking on the forehead, is an all seeing eye. Finally the wavy hair of the Buddha suggests Greco Roman influence a departure from the conventional curls typical of Chinese sculptures at the time.
550 - 577
Disciple Hands, 3D model
- Title Translation: 弟子手 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Pratyekabuddha Standing, 3D model
- Title Translation: 辟支(缘觉)佛立像 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577
Bodhisattva Standing, 3D model
- Title Translation: 菩萨立像 , 3D模型
- Period: Sui, 581-518 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Standing Guanyin Bodhisattva, head and both hands broken off. The smoothly falling robe forms thin ornamental folds.
550 - 577
Heavenly Buddhist Gathering, 3D model
- Title Translation: 天道会 , 3D模型
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
550 - 577